Work

Ross Ice Shelf frontal zone subjected to increasing melting by ocean surface waters

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Solar-warmed surface waters subduct beneath Antarctica's ice shelves as a result of wind forcing, but this process is poorly observed and its interannual variability is yet to be assessed. We observe a 50-meter-thick intrusion of warm surface water immediately beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. Temperature in the uppermost 5 meters decreases toward the ice base in near-perfect agreement with an exponential fit, consistent with the loss of heat to the overlying ice. Ekman forcing drives a heat transport into the cavity sufficient to contribute considerably to near-front melting; this transport has increased over the past four decades, driven by the increasing heat content of the ice-front polynya. Interannual variability of the heat transport is driven by zonal wind stress. These results provide a benchmark against which model performance may be assessed as we seek to reduce uncertainty around the contribution of basal melting to sea level rise.

Source: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado6429

Authors: Peter M. F. Sheehan, Karen J. Heywood

Institution: University of East Anglia

Language: English

Topic: Cryospheric studies and observations

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,500